Punukulu are little crispy fritters from Andhra region, often had as a tea time snack or even as a breakfast item in some parts. These are kind of inbetween bhaji and bonda, as the exterior looks golden and crispy, the inner portion tastes soft and chevy. Would be right to call it Moong Methu Pakora. (Moong Dal Fritters / Pesara Punukulu / Moong Dal Pakodi / Moong Dal Bhaji )
| Ingredients | |
|---|---|
| ½ cup | Green gram (whole or split) |
| 1 no | Onion (finely chopped) |
| ½ tsp | Ginger (finely minced) |
| 3 nos | Green chili (small) |
| ½ tsp | Cumin seeds |
| 1 pinch | Baking soda |
| 2 tsp | Idli or dosai batter |
| ¼ tsp | Salt (or to taste) |
| 3 stks | Coriander leaves |
| 10 nos | Curry leaves |
| 2 cup | Oil (for deep frying) |
Instructions
Soak split green gram for atleast 3 to 4 hours. Wash, drain and grind green gram with green chilies to a soft consitency. Do not add any water while grinding. Add chopped onions, ginger, coriander, curry leaves, cumin seeds, salt, baking soda and idli dosai batter. Mix to combine everything. Heat oil, sample a small portion to check for salt and consistency, then drop a spoon of batter at a time and deep fry until golden. Drain excess fat, if any and serve hot with chutney or sauce.
Notes
Best when eaten hot, to enjoy the crispy texture.
Would yield a decent quantity for 2 people.
If using whole Moong, soak for more than 5 hours or overnight preferred.
Using dosai/idli batter is optional, just added to give extra crispy texture to the bhajis.
7 Comments
Hi Mullai..
Gave it a go yesterday.The outcome was good but then as u had mentioned it tastes good when it is hot after a while it becomes a bit rubbery sort..Not sure if I had messed up with the proportion or so..Anyway enjoyed it when it was hot..
Cheers
Radha Arvindh
Radha,
It happens….., good only when hot and kind of chewy (looks porous) when cold. I use to microwave for 10 seconds and that helps us to finish the leftovers, which goes well with curd or rasam satham.
Mullai,
I must admit that you are doing a great job , you have a very good knowledge in wide variety of indian cooking and I see that you are so much dedicated to cooking. But I’d like to request something. If you post recipies of so many deep fried dishes like this one, your readers would be tempted to try some(eventhough they have right to choose to prepare such deep fried items or not)but as a host ,wouldn’t you encourage more steamed,baked recipies? Just thought of typing ,no offense meant.
Unfortunately, there aren't much recipes in Indian cuisine which involves baking except for few tandoori items. Though there are some steamed foods, but again they are often served with sugary treats or coconut involved garnishes. And as a host, I've been careful in giving equal weightage to all the categories….. you must have seen from my homepage that veg dishes tops the list. As far as I know, most appetizers, snacks and savouries of Indian origin or either shallow fried or deep fried, pardon my ignorance, but will keep your suggestion in mind and will try to come up with healthy recipes too. Do post a recipe request and I'd be happy to work on it. I understand the fact that its quite tempting, but most of the users, browse the net from A to Z and they are mature enough to choose. Moreover, its been just a year since started and already have too much to watch for. Got to keep it attractive, interesting and informative to cover many users. Lately web hosting has been very expensive and had to concentrate on the commercial aspects to keep this going. Again, no offense meant, your suggestions are much appreciated and hope would understand my perspective.
Thanks,
Mullai.
Is the dhal used in this the dhal that we use for pongal or the dhal we use for pesarattu? Please let me know.Thanks.
Its the one which we use for Pongal ~ Split green gram ~ Pachai Paruppu. Whole Moong can also be used, but double the soaking time. Check this link, the first one is used for this recipe.
http://www.spiceindiaonline.com/sprouting
Hi mullai,
it looks like sweet bonda. i like sweets. After looking this u make me temper to eat sweet bonda.
do u know the recipe for sweet bonda?
sure i’ll try this one also. u know i tried almost all your recipes.
thanks for all the recipes.
kavi.